Literacy difficulties and the Pupil Premium

First introduced in 2011, the Pupil Premium originally attracted a budget of £625 million. This has substantially increased and currently stands at just over £2.5 billion. Primary schools receive £1,320 per pupil for those who are eligible for free school meals or are in care, or have been in the last six years. Department for Education (DfE) allocations show that on average primary schools receive £91,000 per year.

Due to changes in school funding, the Pupil Premium has only increased budgets in 55 per cent of schools in real terms. This has meant that some schools with the most disadvantaged pupils actually now receive less than in 2010. School funding is complex, but the DfE spends more in different areas than others and this is further complicated by the role of local authorities. As such, funding for disadvantaged pupils varies considerably from between two to 20 per cent of school funding.